[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2227-H2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPLEMENT SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
(Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
[[Page H2228]]
minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include therein
extraneous material.)
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, several months ago now the President signed
the Syria Accountability Act, which was passed overwhelmingly by this
House and the other body. Since that time, however, the act has not
been implemented; and I believe, as do the vast majority of Members in
this House and the other body believe, that the time is now to slap
sanctions on Syria.
Just the other day, the word came out from Iraq that Syria was
allowing weaponry to come from Syrian territory into Iraq and
guerrillas to come from Syrian territory into Iraq to do harm to
American troops. Syria has not patrolled its border and has allowed
these anti-U.S. guerrillas to come in and kill our troops.
Also, the other day in Jordan a plot was discovered where poison gas
was to have been released and there was to be an attack on the U.S.
Embassy in Amman, Jordan. It was documented that this gas and these
attacks came from Syria across the border into Jordan.
Syria is a major sponsor of terrorism. Syria illegally continues to
occupy Lebanon, has a weapons of mass destruction program, and, as I
mentioned before, is allowing its border to be used by terrorists to
come into Iraq to do harm to U.S. troops. Those are the four things
that this bill, the Syria Accountability Act, called on Syria to end.
Syria has not ended, and the President should implement the sanctions
immediately.
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